Daily water intake: Let's discuss

I can’t believe the nonsense being discussed here. Don't take this personally, but I honestly don't know whether to laugh or cry.
The advice is always the same: drink it this way, drink it that way, use a specific cup, aim for three liters, sip every fifteen minutes, or every three hours, blah, blah, blah.
Apparently, I was naive enough to assume that every living creature on this planet possesses a thirst reflex that tells them when they need water.

Kevin White9 said:I honestly can't wrap my head around what you guys are even debating. Not to be rude, but I don't know whether to laugh or just cry...
So now we need this much water, then that much, then a glass here, three liters there, every fifteen minutes, or every three hours, blah, blah, blah...
I was under the naive impression that every living thing on this planet actually feels thirst and knows when it needs to drink.

No hard feelings, but every living creature DOES feel thirst. The issue with modern humans is simply that we're civilized—we suppress that instinct. We're stuck in a board meeting without water, driving through traffic, running errands in the city... or we force ourselves to drink when we aren't even thirsty, just because someone says, "Hey, long time no see, let's grab a drink."
Both ways just end up drowning out that true, primal signal. Eventually, people ignore their body's signals entirely...

That’s basically it.

Heh, yeah. I mean, every living thing feels hunger, right? And you really think "civilized" people are any different when it comes to following their gut?

We’ve already touched on hydration in those threads about dieting and cellulite. When I mentioned you shouldn't force yourself to chug water if you aren't actually thirsty—since overdoing it can be risky—I apparently got absolutely torn apart by a bunch of women currently obsessed with fixing their cellulite.

I don't recall anyone giving you a hard time there,

Some people thrive when they stay super hydrated, while others feel better drinking less. Honestly, trying to force yourself to follow these arbitrary "rules" is the worst way to go about it.

Take me, for example—I've been thirsty my whole life, and trying to switch to a strict 64 ounces a day? No thanks. So far today, I've only had about four cups of water, plus my morning coffee and some tea... and yeah, I'm still thirsty. I can definitely feel that missing liter I'd usually have knocked back by now.😉

That was just a joke from placidjackal97😉

By the way, obviously there are people out there who can get by on four liters of water a day, but then you have others who function perfectly fine on just two cups. On that thread, there seemed to be this weird sense of shock toward anyone saying they don't drink much water, along with all these suggestions that it's somehow extremely unhealthy. It isn't unhealthy at all.😉 You just have to listen to your own body... and what it's actually asking for.

Look, I never said it was unhealthy—and you definitely didn't get attacked by me—(okay, fine, you were joking and I'm 😉 )

As for the rest of the post, I think we’re on the same page.

I honestly cannot fathom why anyone would feel the need to carry around a massive jug of lukewarm tap water just to run errands downtown. It’s not like you’re trekking through the Mojave Desert or something.

Frankly, I find these modern trends to be utterly exhausting. 👎

Brener said:It’s your own fault for carrying around gallons of water just to go downtown. It isn't like you're trekking through the Mojave.

Fashion is ridiculous.👎

Agreed.
The obsession with hydration is getting absurd. Everyone is competing to see who can drink the most, to the point where we're seeing actual cases of water intoxication.
I drink when I'm thirsty and eat when I'm hungry. It really isn't that complicated.

Bee said:I couldn't agree more!
It’s honestly getting ridiculous how much water people feel pressured to drink these days. It’s turned into this weird competition where everyone is trying to outdo one another—it’s actually reached a point where you even hear stories about water intoxication.
Personally, I follow a much more intuitive approach: if I'm thirsty, I drink; if I'm hungry, I eat. Life doesn't need to be overcomplicated, does it?

And don't even get me started on the social aspect of it. I see these women constantly lugging around massive gallon jugs, sipping from them with such practiced elegance, as if they’re afraid the taps might run dry tomorrow. It’s absurd... we live in a country where water is practically everywhere. There is no shortage. 🙂

It has become nothing more than a lifestyle trend, and frankly, I find the whole fad quite distasteful.

Water intoxication—I remember reading about this years ago. Something about drinking way too much water in a short burst flushing all the salt out of your system, which supposedly causes brain swelling. I think I even saw a few reports about people actually dying from it. If anyone knows the actual specifics, lay them on me.

shree_kali said:I know this might sound a bit silly...🙄 but this is actually the second time this has happened to me..

I was trying to hit my goal of 8 glasses of water throughout the morning—you know, meeting my daily quota and all...

and now I feel absolutely terrible... and it’s not just my stomach—I'm sweating, my head is throbbing, I'm shaking, and I have zero energy left... 😢

Does anyone see any logic in this?! What could possibly link drinking a ton of water to this total disaster afterward?

It seems the issue isn't just about the water itself, but also the salt intake. Apparently, you're supposed to add some sea salt to every liter you drink. As someone once mentioned, water can flush everything out of your system—toxins, vitamins, and minerals alike. Salt is essential because, when paired with water, it helps regulate fluid balance in the body. Basically, it comes down to finding the right ratio of water to SEA SALT [which is better since it lacks additives and keeps the minerals that table salt loses during processing] to ensure the body functions optimally.

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to check out this site:

http://www.watercure2.com/

The doctor on the site claims we are all suffering from inadequate water and salt intake [dehydration], and suggests that this dehydration is actually the root cause of most illnesses.

I was just listening to two Kenyans talk about how they were struggling with the heat and thirst during their trip to the States last year (I kid you not).

Their routine? They’re sipping half a liter of tea first thing in the morning. And I mean hot tea. Then, throughout the day, they’re walking around in long sleeves—maybe they find our weather a bit chilly 😁—and then they're back at the tea again in the evening if they feel like it. Basically, they aren't drinking a single thing during the day. And they aren't overdoing it with water, either.

Hey, if that's how they want to live, more power to them. 🙂

Tinch said:That’s all nonsense—those prescribed daily water intake guidelines.

I know plenty of people who barely touch water, don't feel the need, and function perfectly fine.

Look, I also know people who smoke and function just fine.

Does that make smoking healthy? Hardly. 😕

The body eventually just gets used to being in a broken state. That doesn't mean it's actually healthy or doing okay. Just reacting to what was said above about "knowing people who barely drink any water and still function fine."

And honestly, overdosing on water is just as bad as staying dehydrated. It’s mostly because you're absolutely wrecking your kidneys.

Noah Harris50 said:Overdoing it on water is just as bad as being dehydrated. First off, you're going to wreck your kidneys.

Kidney overload and metabolic imbalance—you'll trash your electrolytes.
Not at the amounts you drank, but drinking excessive amounts is just as dangerous as dehydration.

I honestly cannot believe I actually went and did this to myself AGAIN! 😠

But look, it wasn't even intentional this time... I've been parched all day, and now I’m sitting here feeling absolutely miserable.

What is even going on with this thread... seriously? Water flushes out salt and toxins from your body????? Drinking water gets rid of cellulite???????? Does chugging eight glasses a day somehow stop us from losing that primal sense of hunger just because we're stuck sitting through endless meetings????????????????????????????????????
My friends, instead of following these ridiculous, trendy nonsense trends, you really ought to start reading actual physiology textbooks—start with Guyton. It’ll teach you that the body has incredibly efficient ways of managing water and minerals (check out the chapter on kidneys), and it definitely isn't waiting for permission from some guy sitting in a boardroom sipping eight glasses of water first thing in the morning. If you had any actual skin in the game, maybe you'd wake up to reality...

So, I once had this bright idea to start chugging way more water—you know, because everyone keeps saying it’s some kind of magic elixir for your skin—and let me tell you, I spent basically my entire existence sprinting to the restroom. Honestly? It was a one-time experiment, folks! No thank you! I have absolutely zero interest in turning my life into a full-time career in the hydration and urine industry 24/7!

I read somewhere that kidneys can handle about two deciliters of water every fifteen minutes.

I remember being absolutely parched once after getting my stuff, and I downed a whole two-liter carafe of chamomile tea between 8 and 10 in the morning. By the afternoon, I was running to the bathroom constantly and that thirst was totally gone.😁

Honestly, I don’t drink much unless I have a bottle on me. Like, I’ll be thirsty, but who wants to get up and go grab a drink? When I'm at school, if it's really hot, I'll refill my bottle three or four times, just sipping a little bit, and still feel nothing.

But then, if I chug a liter of water right after a workout, I feel like garbage.

shree_kali said:I tried drinking 8 glasses of water this morning... you know, hit my daily goal and all that... and now I feel absolutely terrible. Does anyone actually find logic in this? Is there any connection between chugging all that water and the disaster that followed?

I haven't caught up on the posts past page one, but here’s my take: it definitely matters. Everyone's body reacts differently, and it’s possible you just overdid it and your kidneys are struggling to keep up. That "eight glasses a day" rule is pretty broad, too. Honestly, it might be worth getting your kidney function checked out. There's always a chance they aren't working at full capacity without you even realizing it.